“Well, that was completely predictable,” Luna said from the darkness.

Opening his eyes, Arron sat up, the white void still extending around him. “How long was I out?”

“Not long. This is only the tutorial, after all. You likely overstressed the connections, resulting in a brief loss of consciousness.”

Arron looked to the table. The red ball had moved slightly but remained affixed.

“As I stated before,” Luna said, seeming to read Arron’s mind, “the red ball cannot be moved. Though it is very impressive you were able to shift it at all. That should not have been possible. Were you to decide to pursue spell casting, you would have significant advantages.”

“I’ll pass,” Arron said. “I’m not really looking for abracadabra mumbo jumbo. I’ll stick with hitting things.”

Luna sighed. “Very well. This completes the mini-tutorial on interfacing with the game. Would you like to resume the tutorial on character progression?”

Arron nodded.

“Excellent.” The faint sound of a tape being rewound came out of the void. “Your Character Sheet is one of the most important sources of information during your time in Interius. Let’s access your Character Sheet now. Simply Will it open.”

Arron tried to focus on opening his Character Sheet and nearly squawked when it appeared in his vision.

Arron Level 4 Class: Unassigned Strength: 6 Charisma: 3 Fate: Hero Agility: 5 Knowledge: 4 Luck: 0 Toughness: 8 Cunning: 4 Karma: Neutral

Weapon

Common Hammer

(Damage 1-3) (2-4 when wielded with two hands)

When you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Head Empty Arms Empty Neck Empty Hands Empty Torso Fresh Spawned Tunic Feet Fresh Spawned Sandals Shoulders Empty Legs Empty Ring 1 Empty Ring 2 Empty

Skills Blunt (1) Traits Stubborn (II)

“What the hell!” Like the menu before, the Character Sheet started by overwhelming Arron’s vision and immediately self-adjusted. It moved further away and to the right of his vision, becoming slightly translucent.

“Your Character Sheet is broken into several sections. The foremost, and potentially most important, are your Name, Character Level, and Class,” Luna said as though Arron hadn’t just flailed about from the sudden appearance of the screen. That was going to take some getting used to. “Your Name is what those around you see when they successfully inspect you. You can set a public name that is separate from your actual name. Titles, Honorifics, and Nobility will be presented here as well.

“Level is the primary measurement of power in Interius. You progress in Levels by collecting Experience, also referred to as XP, through many means. This includes slaying monsters, completing quests, and discovering new lands. Reaching a new Level is generally a pleasant experience, immediately healing you to full Health, refreshing your exhaustion levels, and presenting a brief state of euphoria. Starting at Level 5, each additional Level you achieve will award you with Stat Points to attribute either automatically or as you choose, as well as Skill Points to assign into Skills you already possess. Important! These Skill Points can only be attributed to Skills used during your previous Level.

“Class is a term representing your character. Are you studying the arcane to bend the very elements to your will? Are you making pacts with beings greater than yourself for a piece of their power? Are you walking around hitting things with a hammer?”

Arron scanned the white void for a physical sign of Luna. The AI definitely had a tone with that suspiciously specific last question. His ingenuity when wielding his hammer was quite impressive, if he said so himself.

“Questions such as these are what decide your Class,” Luna continued, unphased by his glare. “It is first granted at Level 5 based on the first four Levels of play—”

“Torbin explained this part to me. You—”

“And can provide special bonuses and limitations,” Luna said, her tone stating well and clear she did not appreciate the interruption. “Your Class continues to change as you play Interius, adapting to your method of play. For example, if you stop researching the arcane and instead start making pacts with deities, it will reflect in your Class and, by extension, the bonuses and limitations.”

Arron struggled to soak up all the information Luna was providing. Studying had never been his strong point, and this was definitely a crash course.

“Moving on to your Stat Block. This contains your current rankings in the individual Stats of Interius.” A figure that looked like himself appeared in front of Arron. “These Stats are:

“Strength. How much can you carry? How hard do you hit?” The figure pantomimed Luna’s words, throwing big haymaker punches. “Your Strength score helps determine the outcome when it’s muscle versus mass.

“Agility. How fast do you run? What’s the likelihood you would dodge an arrow?” The figure went from running in place to jumping, spinning as an illusory arrow nearly struck it. “Your Agility score helps determine the outcome by how well you move.

“Toughness. Can you take a hit? How many Hit Points do you get? How quickly does poison infect your system? Toughness represents how effective your body’s self-preservation is.

“Charisma. Do people like you? Can you tell a lie? How likely is someone to follow you into battle? Your Charisma affects how NPCs and other players view you.

“Knowledge. Where is the stronghold of Nightshade the Undying? What does that glyph you saw in Wesley’s cellar mean? Knowledge affects situations where you are trying to remember or decipher facts and figures.

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“Cunning. Are you quick-witted? Do you see the enemy’s weakness on the battlefield? Do you learn new Skills quickly? Cunning represents the speed of your mind.

“These core Stats are your source of power for everything you do in the game. Increase your Stats if you wish to achieve greatness.”

“Ok, so Strength represents how strong I am. I get that,” Arron said. “But what is that in reference to? Like, does a toddler usually have a Strength of 50? What does my Strength of 6 mean?”

“An excellent question, Arron. An average human outside of Interius would be represented by a score of five in all categories.”

“Five?” Arron sputtered. “But I have a three in Charisma!”

“Correct.”

Arron waited for an explanation and only continued when it was apparent the computer wasn’t going to elaborate. “Well, why? Why is my Charisma so low?” he asked in a huff.

“There are two reasons. Primarily, you are not well-liked, Arron. Your interactions with other players have been harsh, aggressive, and at times rude. You come across as a bully, though without the ability to inflict pain, as your Levels are low.”

Arron glanced around the white void, mouth agape at her bluntness.

“Secondly, during your character creation, you opted for me to assign your Stat Points. I attempted to assign them to represent you as best I could. This is the result.”

That’s right. He remembered his rush to enter the game. His sharp tongue and rudeness when Luna was giving him what he now knew was really important information. That seemed so long ago and thinking back… what had his instructions been? ‘Make me like me!’

Crap.

Arron cleared his throat, embarrassed. “Ok, Luna. I understand the Stats. Do they increase with time then?”

“Yes. Stats will increase from training, exertion, or by Stat Points granted at each Level.”

Arron nodded, indicating for Luna to continue.

“The final three qualities are Fate, Luck, and Karma. These tend to be more difficult for players to understand. They are complex factors within the calculations controlling the game.

“Fate. This is the adventure you are on. The game you are playing. The Fate of your character.

“Luck. This represents how lucky you are. Luck can influence many aspects of the game. Ignore this Stat at your own peril.

“Karma. There are many divine forces within Interius. Your Karma will affect how they view and interact with you. Move your Karma too far in either direction? You might draw attention you do not seek.”

“Try to be lucky, don’t mess with Karma. Got it. And I’m supposed to be a hero. That’s cool. Especially considering my goal is to find and save Bella. What about the rest of the sheet? Weapon makes sense, and equipment seems obvious, but what are Skills and Traits?”

“Skills are actions you have developed competency in,” Luna replied. “Often, they encompass a large breadth of ability. For instance, your Skill Blunt both increases your abilities with blunt weapons and aids or hinders you when communicating with others. Skills Level up as they are used more consistently.

“Traits define the cornerstones of who your character is. Traits come in five ranks, with Rank I indicating the Trait is a pivotal aspect of your personality, and Rank V representing deity level connection and dedication to the Trait. Your Trait, Stubborn II, indicates you are one of the most stubborn individuals within the entire kingdom. It grants you resistance to mental manipulation but lowers your Charisma score directly.”

“Oh! So that’s why my Charisma is low,” Arron said.

“Among the other things mentioned,” Luna replied.

“Alright. I get it. What’s next?”

“Combat,” she replied.

Arron smiled. “Alright! That sounds more like—”

A fist coalesced out of nowhere and smashed directly into Arron’s face. The cartilage in his nose shattered and erupted with blood.

“Ahhh!” Arron yelled, stumbling back, cupping his nose. Fighting to clear the tears from his eyes, he focused on the culprit, a humanoid with dark-green skin and two massive tusks jutting from its lower jaw. It glared at him under a vast Cro-Magnon looking brow, and rolled its thickly muscled shoulders leading into an equally muscled torso and body.

The creature roared, stepping toward him, fist raised behind its head for another blow. Arron danced to the side to dodge the beast’s punch, but the blow didn’t come. Instead, the creature entered into some sort of slow-motion and came to a stop.

“The hell?” He yelled upward to Luna at the… sky?

“When you are damaged in Interius,” Luna said, ignoring Arron, “you will notice a blood splatter effect surrounding the edges of your vision.” Arron recognized the crimson vignette from his many deaths. “This will become more and more dense as you are further injured until you die and it is replaced with black.”

Black Sands Orc appeared over the creatures head in a legible, though fancy typeface.

“When you inspect another, you will be given several essential pieces of information in the form of a tag. The most basic piece of information you may receive in these tags is the creature type. You may further discover its name, disposition, and any number of other factors, depending on the success of your inspection.”

Several areas on the orc changed color slightly, becoming a bit darker than their surroundings. The orc’s eyes, temple, and throat each took on the shadowed effect. Noticing this, the orc’s chest, forehead, and arms became lighter than the area around them.

“An inspection may provide a creature’s weaknesses. As you can see on the orc, its eyes, temple, and throat are darker, indicating they will take additional damage from attacks to these locations, while the forehead and chest are lighter, meaning they are more difficult to damage.

“Weapons. Like your hammer, all weapons have a base amount of damage they inflict. This can be affected by your Stats, Skills, Traits, Class, and other factors. Each creature has its own specific number of Hit Points representing how much damage it will take to kill it. Using these weaknesses and strengths can exponentially affect the damage you do to a creature and go a long way to defeating stronger creatures within Interius.

“For instance, your Common Hammer does 1-3 damage, or 2-4 damage if wielded two-handed. If you strike the orc here,” a glowing arrow appeared over the orc’s chest, “that amount will be reduced significantly, possibly removing all damage completely. But if you strike the orc here,” the arrow appeared again, this time pointing at the darkened area at orc’s temple, “it will increase the damage dealt significantly.”

Luna paused for a moment, giving Arron a chance to both digest the information and study the frozen orc. “Using this information, defeat the orc.”

“Wait, what?” Arron asked, caught off guard from the physical beating to classroom instruction whiplash Luna put him through.

The orc followed through on its swing as though it hadn’t been reduced to a statue.

This time Arron moved quicker, dodging to the side and avoiding the blow. He looped his fist underneath the orc’s arms and smashed it in the face, knocking its head back. Pain blossomed from his fist. One of his fingers broke on the orc’s tusk.

The orc smiled at Arron, slamming its forehead forward, flattening his already broken nose.

Growling in pain, Arron lunged and wrapped his arm around the orc’s neck, locking it in to keep it from hitting him again. Rotten breath permeated the air, blown directly into Arron’s face. The stink made him gag, but he continued to flex and hold the orc’s head close.

Swift blows landed on his sides as the orc alternated its left and right fists. Pain exploded in his kidneys and now floating ribs, hammered with blow after blow. Clenching his teeth through the haze of pain, Arron started kneeing the orc in the chest, pulling it down and driving his knee up with all his strength.

“Gotta love the stupid ones,” the orc chuckled under its breath, unfazed by the blows.

Like ice water running along his spine, Arron suddenly got it. Strengths and weaknesses.

Arron shifted his grip, wrapping his arm around the Orc’s neck, its face in his armpit, and started to apply pressure. He used his other arm to lock his grip, and brought his legs into the equation by digging his heel into its hip for leverage.

Arron’s muscles tensed, and sweat started to bead on his forehead as he strained against the orc. Choking noises and pained groans escaped the orc as it wildly punched and slapped at Arron. Its blows became more insistent and panicked with each passing moment.

Arron’s muscles began to cramp. He ignored the ache, using it to focus his resolve as he pulled, pulled…

Pop! Desperate screams erupted from within the orc’s throat, the cries muffled by closed airways.

With a scream of his own and a twist of his body, Arron tore on the orc’s head, ripping it from the torso as he put all his strength directly into the orc’s weakness: its neck.

Blood cascaded across his body.

Arron’s deep breathing stood out against the silence that fell over the void. The orc’s body hit the ground, followed by the head, thudding with a note of finality.

The body, its blood, and Arron’s wounds all faded away, leaving him as he had been before the tutorial. Though perhaps a bit more winded.

Luna’s voice returned. “Well done, Arron. Would you like to repeat the combat portion of the tutorial?”

Arron paused for a moment, considering. “Yes, Luna, I think I would.”

He was shocked when the orc appeared with a smile. “Back for more, eh?” it asked in its guttural voice.

“You? Didn’t I just kill you?” Arron asked, confused but managing to avoid the creature’s opening blow.

“See if you can again.” It roared, launching itself headfirst at Arron, sinking its tusks into his shoulder as it bear-hugged him around the waist.

The orc squeezed with its considerable strength while shaking its head back and forth like a hound with a new toy. Arron’s arm detached at the shoulder and his outcry filled the void, his vision flooded with crimson.

“Would you like to repeat the combat portion of the tutorial?” Luna asked.

Arron startled a bit, looking down at his completely functional hands, devoid of blood or blemish.

Smiling with enthusiasm, he said, “Yes.”

Arron completed the combat tutorial thirty-two more times. At one point, Arron asked the orc his name. The orc had responded with, “More fighting, less talking to Garruk.”

His steps became a bit surer in avoiding the heavy-fisted blows. At some point, Arron found himself jeering Garruk on, taunting him into a frenzy. His determination grew when Garruk slung an insult in kind followed by his fist. Arron figured out along the way how to use his hammer with a two-handed blow to the temple to down the orc in a single swing.

“Would you like to repeat the combat portion of the tutorial?” Luna asked.

“One last time,” Arron said.

Garruk appeared, immediately taking a defensive stance and circled Arron, poised to strike.

“Whoa, Garruk.” Arron raised both hands in a peaceful sign.

Garruk stopped moving but did not relax.

“This is my last time through. I just wanna say thanks. They were good fights.”

Garruk regarded him suspiciously for a moment and then smiled broadly. “Good fights,” he agreed with a nod.

“One more?” Arron threw his hammer to the side, readying his fists.

Garruk’s eyes blazed with anticipation. They clashed together a final time in blood, blows, and torn body parts.